If havnt really had a whole lot of success with this copter. Eecently it seems that it does not even want to fly. I can get it up in the air for about 40 seconds bwfore it starts to slowly fall untill I have full throttle in and still dropping while it spins down. To me it seems like a battery problem but everything ive read is saying they are fine. All cells balance just fine at the correct voltage andthey are not puffy or anything. I then tried to research esc failure or bad motor but none of what anyone says im experiencing. Motors dont get hot, escs are warm but thats been normal. Any ideas? I had it flying judt fine the ither night, charged the battery and then this. Leads me to belive a battery ussue but would like soneone else opinion.Troy
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Yet even more confusion. It started out doing its "lack of power" and basically spinning on the ground (yaw) at 3/4 to full throttle I could get it in the air compensating for the excessive yaw. Couldn't really read the amp draw and fly though i did glance back and saw 24A at 3/4 throttle when it was still on the ground. Pulled power to reposition the laptop due to glare from the sun, advanced throttle again and the damn thing flew as if there was no issue. The log should show it spinning and what not in the begging. Have a buddy coming over to monitor the telemetry so I can fly since I don't trust that the copter will remain where I left it in the air just yet.
I do have the power module installed. Do I need to have it flying, or full throttle sitting on the ground if it wont fly, and reference the current and voltage on the MP? Its a hex with the older APM and upgraded firmware, batteries are 3cell zippy 30C 8Ah, not sure of the exact weight. Its quite heavy but thats never been an issue in the past and I got 15 to 20 min run times. Motors are 850Kv spinning 11x4.7.
Well you need to see the values when you're having the problem, whether you actually flying at that point doesn't really matter. If you've been flying before with this configuration then something has changed in either how much power you have or the throttle is not reaching full. Sometimes one motor might not be working 100% and the APM won't let the others reach full throttle. There are so many possibilities that you'll have to eliminate one at a time starting with the power. If your power is down or low then you'll need to figure out why.
Have a short flight attempt and post the "tlog" here
You need to find a way to measure the battery voltage and current when flying, usually through the Mission Planner if you have a power module. A 'copter needs a certain amount of power (watts = volts x amps) to hover, if you don't get that throughout the whole flight you will not be able to keep it in the air no matter how balanced your cells are or how new or good your batteries are.
Also give us more details of your machine, battery, cells, weight, motors, props, etc. That will allow us to assist better rather than just guessing.
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Yet even more confusion. It started out doing its "lack of power" and basically spinning on the ground (yaw) at 3/4 to full throttle I could get it in the air compensating for the excessive yaw. Couldn't really read the amp draw and fly though i did glance back and saw 24A at 3/4 throttle when it was still on the ground. Pulled power to reposition the laptop due to glare from the sun, advanced throttle again and the damn thing flew as if there was no issue. The log should show it spinning and what not in the begging. Have a buddy coming over to monitor the telemetry so I can fly since I don't trust that the copter will remain where I left it in the air just yet.
2014-02-09 13-36-22.tlog
Well you need to see the values when you're having the problem, whether you actually flying at that point doesn't really matter. If you've been flying before with this configuration then something has changed in either how much power you have or the throttle is not reaching full. Sometimes one motor might not be working 100% and the APM won't let the others reach full throttle. There are so many possibilities that you'll have to eliminate one at a time starting with the power. If your power is down or low then you'll need to figure out why.
Have a short flight attempt and post the "tlog" here
You need to find a way to measure the battery voltage and current when flying, usually through the Mission Planner if you have a power module. A 'copter needs a certain amount of power (watts = volts x amps) to hover, if you don't get that throughout the whole flight you will not be able to keep it in the air no matter how balanced your cells are or how new or good your batteries are.
Also give us more details of your machine, battery, cells, weight, motors, props, etc. That will allow us to assist better rather than just guessing.